The Lee Williams Volunteers will head out to square off against the Cactus Shadows Falcons at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. The last three games Lee Williams has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Lee Williams will bounce into Saturday's contest after beating Coconino, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. Lee Williams had just enough and edged out Coconino 8-7 on Thursday. The game was the first time the Volunteers have beaten the Panthers on their field since April 12, 2022.
Ian McGrew tossed a big game, pitching five innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Lincoln Lewandowski, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three RBI. What's more, he posted two hits, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. Connor Yurcina also deserves some recognition as he scored his first runs of the season.
Meanwhile, Cactus Shadows put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their undefeated season alive. They blew past Eastmark 11-1. The Falcons might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight matchups by seven runs or more this season.
Cactus Shadows also got a great performance from Grayson Headon as he struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Headon has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Evan Hanish was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. Owen Konerko was another key player, scoring three runs while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Cactus Shadows was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .471. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .357 or higher in five consecutive games.
Cactus Shadows pushed their record up to 10-0-1 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for Lee Williams, their record now sits at 4-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lee Williams has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Cactus Shadows struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
